Best options under $500 (1 Viewer)

[jremmons]

All-
I'm looking to purchase some binoculars for my wildlife technicians. Considering my personal collection, I am much more familiar with the sub alpha and alpha market in the >$700 range. Can anyone provide me (strictly in their opinions) the best options under $500? This number must be met due to the purchasing requirements for my place of employee (purchases over $500 require specialized approvals which will not likely be given for a tool such as this).

Thanks,
Justin

 

[Kammerdiner]

Just to toss a contender into the ring: Maven C1. Steve C has written a nice review of this one, and I'm familiar with a slightly older version of it marketed by Minox. The design is rock solid (yikes, the abuse my sister's pair has received!) and the price is right.

It's also very lightweight--so no complaints about lugging them around all day.

Mark

 

[Canip]

Which configuration ?

8x42 ? Or ?

If 8x42 is the size you are looking for, here are a few ideas:
- Vortex Viper HD 8x42 - I don‘t know it myself, but I do have other Vortex binos in my collection and find them very good. Plus the Viper gets good reviews from birders. Just under $ 500.
- Meopta MeoPro 8x42 HD - I have one of those and like it. This is well below $500
- Hawke Sapphire 8x42 ED - very nice bino with wide fov. Below $500

Canip

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

Justin, post 1,
I support the suggestion by Canip in post 3: the Meopta Meopro 8x42 HD.
Gijs van Ginkel

 

[[email protected]]

The best choice I have seen under $500.00 is the Vortex Viper HD 8x42. Excellent unconditional no-fault warranty. Here are some reviews where it is ranked above the Zeiss Terra, Vanguard Endeavor II, Maven B1, Monarch 7, Zeiss Conquest HD and even the Leica Trinovid HD. It is 5 star rated on 270 reviews @Amazon.com. for $489.00.

http://redirect.viglink.com/?format...www.outdoorgearlab.com/revie...-viper-hd-8x42
http://redirect.viglink.com/?format...t=http://www.audubon.org/gear/binocular-guide

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

Justin,
In addition to my post 5: I have published a test report of the Meopta Meopro 8 and 10x42 on the WEB-site of House of Outdoor.
Gijs van Ginkel

 

[gunut]

you don't say if you are looking at a compact , mid size , full size binocular....
So for a compact....Zeiss Terra 8 x 25
Mid size.................Minox BL HD 8x33
Full size.................Minox BL HD 10x44 or Zeiss Terra 8x42 Ed or Vanguard Endeavor 8x42 ED II

 

[WJC]

All-
I'm looking to purchase some binoculars for my wildlife technicians. Considering my personal collection, I am much more familiar with the sub alpha and alpha market in the >$700 range. Can anyone provide me (strictly in their opinions) the best options under $500? This number must be met due to the purchasing requirements for my place of employee (purchases over $500 require specialized approvals which will not likely be given for a tool such as this).

Thanks,
Justin

Hi, Justin:

You have received some good advice, I would not hope to change any of it. There are some things I might suggest you think about:

1) There are good and not so good binos out there. The "alpha" binocular only exists between the ears of the opinionated person speaking at the time. Are there binoculars of such quality that the rank and file COULD recognize them as "alphas." Humm ... sometimes. The big three almost always float to the top. But then, there some people-often with no qualifing experience-who will bring up the name of a brand only on the market a few years as being equal or superior. Sometimes this is to justify their bargain-basement purchase. OTHER TIMES THEY ARE AS RIGHT AS RAIN (whatever that means)!

2) If you were to see 100 different brands and models (outside the big 3), the chances are that all 100 come from a half-dozen OEMs and differ only in cosmetics, marketing, AR coatings (maybe), and price. For some people bragging rights are important. For others, it's quality in the image and longevity in the build. I have seen electric guitar players state that brand X "sounds" so much better than Y or Z, without noting: the wrap of the strings, the gauge of the strings, the type of saddles, construction of the instrument (solid or hollow), size (full or ¾), pickup tone and volume settings, position of plucking or strumming hand, OTHER IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS, or the quality of the ears and brain making the judgement.

3) $500 will buy you 95-98% of the quality you will experience in the best ever made. Furthermore, it might take Superman, Einstein, or God to tell the difference. Which is more important to you, bragging rights or a pleasant experience that leaves money in your pocket?

4) Things to look for:

-A company with longevity.
-A company with a good track record of selling quality products no matter which OEM they bought from.
-A company with a good track record when it comes to advice, repairs, and return policy.
-The bitterness of poor quality will last longer than the sweetness of a low price.
-At $500 you should be able to avoid the previous statement.
-Thus, which is the best for under $500? What day is it? :cat:

Bill

 

[Kammerdiner]

Yes, format matters. I sort of assumed Justin was referring to 8x42, the standard for such things. That Meopro looks nice! Something like $344. I haven't seen it though.

 

[[email protected]]

I had the Cabela's Instinct 8x32 HD (Meopta Meostar). The optics were really good and they had excellent contrast but it started oozing grease from the focus wheel and the IPD hinge loosened up to the point the binoculars were unusable. I know this is just one sample but I have never had this happen before with any binoculars and I have had a lot of them. It is not a reason not to buy them just something to be aware of.

 

[BruceH]

Another nomination for consideration is the GPO Passion ED 42mm for optics quality. Doug of Cameraland or Mike J. from GPO might be able to arrange a govt pricing offer.

I believe Zeiss participates in some kind of program for law enforcement and I suspect wildlife services may qualify. My guess is the Terra could be a good choice for durability.

 

[Gijs van Ginkel]

Dennis, post 10,
The Meopta Meostar is more expensive than the Meopro and is a different istrument and we know by now that you had a oil leakage from the Meostar 8x32 you had for a short time, it could not escape us.
Gijs van Ginkel

 

[Steve C]

At a $500 upper limit, assuming you want your technicians to get their minds wrapped around what constitutes a good optic to let them further their own personal choice down the road, in my experience there are two options here, both mentioned previously. With either one the optics are far above adequate for field data collection purposes. They are the Maven C1 and the GPO Passion ED. The Maven might be had for a bit less money, but I'd recommend the GPO. The C1 has a relatively small fov, although the afov in the 10x42 C1 is wide field, the 8x is not. The GPO is only slightly more money and comes with a much wider fov. In my opinion, the GPO units, both HD and ED models are among the very top of the apparent solid build list, at any price, particularly with regard to the eye cup assemblies. I say apparent because how tough or durable a binocular is may not be discernible from looking at the outside. However the GPO units have the look and feel of being able to stand up to a baseball bat and a hitting Tee.

I did a C1 review and I had Passion ED for a while. I declined to do a review on the GPO as there were some issues that I tend to think were probably due to early production run difficulties. That one went back and another will follow.

 

[gr8fuldoug]

Hands down, since their price decrease, the Meopta MeoPro 8x42 at $479.95 or 10x42 HD @ $499.95 is the best quality binocular under $500.00

 

[dries1]

How many wildlife techs are we talking about?

A.W.

 

[sbb]

My initial thoughts would be your main uses, ie to view wide expanses, hence FOV would be up there on the requirement list. Bushnell M or the GPO would fit that bill..

But then again with everyday use, durability and ease of warranty would add significant value to the chosen purchase... Durability, no comment on which brands, but obviously ease of warranty claims would have to be Vortex. Not sure how the Bushnell warranty claims are like, but they seem to be similar to the Vortex no questions asked. The GPO, is your normal warranty and they don't cover accidental abuse.

 

[ceasar]

How many wildlife techs are we talking about?

A.W.

Don't know if this will help but over the years I noticed that all the Interns working at Hawk Mountain during the migration season were using Nikon Monarch roof prism binoculars. There usually were about half a dozen of them.

Bob

PS: I forgot to mention that there is a very large Cabela's store about 10 miles from Hawk Mountain which would be a good place to get them and try them out.

 

[Troubador]

Justin
My vote goes to a choice between Meopro, GPO ED and Terra ED and I would probably choose them in that order.

For a purchase such as yours I would discount Vortex for the moment until it is better known how the switch from Japan to China has settled down.

Lee

 

[[email protected]]

Justin
My vote goes to a choice between Meopro, GPO ED and Terra ED and I would probably choose them in that order.

For a purchase such as yours I would discount Vortex for the moment until it is better known how the switch from Japan to China has settled down.

Lee

I wouldn't worry too much about Vortex's Japan to China switch. They still have very stringent QC in Wisconsin before they ship anything out and they have a very low failure rate according to the company. If anything is faulty your covered with their Unconditional No-fault warranty. I understand your concern though Lee because China has been known not to have as good of Quality Control as Japan. They also have a military and police discount which would probably apply in this case.

 

[Troubador]

I wouldn't worry too much about Vortex's Japan to China switch. They still have very stringent QC in Wisconsin before they ship anything out and they have a very low failure rate according to the company. If anything is faulty your covered with their Unconditional No-fault warranty. I understand your concern though Lee because China has been known not to have as good of Quality Control as Japan. They also have a military and police discount which would probably apply in this case.

Thanks Dennis. My concern wasn't so much a Japan vs China quality as such, more a case of the first batches of production have a higher chance of containing sub-standard units than batches made a year later. I have no doubt that Vortex will get this under control.

Lee